Ahead of the Scottish Budget - RCPsych in Scotland is calling on the Scottish Government to keep their own promise to commit 10% of the total NHS spend towards mental health and 1% for CAMHS.
The calls come as the latest data shows that in the quarter ending September this year, 89.1% of those assessed as suitable for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) were seen within 18 weeks, almost reaching the Scottish Government target of 90%.
This was up from 84.1% in the previous quarter and 75.6% for the same quarter ending September 2023.
There were 4,231 children and young people waiting to start treatment at the quarter ending September 2024, a decrease of 20.8% from 5,344 waiting in the same quarter last year.
Dr Kandarp Joshi, chair of the CAMHS Faculty, 免费黑料网 in Scotland, said:
“It’s welcome news that waiting times have improved – but ministers cannot assume the job is now done.
“Alarmingly, waiting times may be higher because the Scottish Government don’t report on the wait after a young person’s first assessment.
“They also don’t take into the account the waiting times for neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism or ADHD – which are also on the rise.
“Working on the frontline we see a postcode lottery of specialist mental health services across the country, but our vulnerable children and young people deserve so much better than this.
“Targets are missed but what we need is ringfenced funding and resources ploughed in at local level.”
For further information, please contact:
- Email: scotland@rcpsych.ac.uk
- Contact Name: RCPsych in Scotland
- Twitter: